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Heating renewal

A new communal heating system is being installed on the the two large blocks of the Finsbury Estate - Patrick Coman House and Michael Cliffe House. The contract delivery has been one of the worst we have experienced on this estate. Our newsletter of April 2017 highlighted some of the main problems.

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Islington Council has failed to hold consultation meetings or drop in sessions for tenants and residents of the estate since the the commencement of works in early 2016.  The only meetings that have been held are those organised by FETRA.

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A major issue is that many households have reduced hot water pressure as a result. High grade officers told FETRA committee members, in early April 2017, that they would come back to us in three weeks with suggested solutions to the low water pressure problem.  After three months and still no suggested solutions we made a formal complaint about this issue and general failures by Islington Council in the management of this contract.

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The complaint seems to have stirred them into action.  We have now been provided with a technical report on three options which was discussed at a FETRA general meeting on 6th July, 

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The terrible fire at Grenfell House in Kensington and Chelsea has necessarily frightened tenants of Finsbury Estate, especially those on Michael Cliffe House.

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While Michael Cliffe House has no cladding, FETRA has questioned whether fire risk assessments are good enough to ensure residents of our estate are safe in the event of fire.

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Arnold Dix, an independent disaster investigator who looked into the Lakanal House fire, which saw six people killed in 2009, says the fact Grenfell Tower burnt so fast despite being deemed only a medium risk showed Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) don't work. He has described FRAs as a tick boxing exercise.

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On the Finsbury Estate we have been lucky enough to have Arnold Dix take a look at the fire risk issues on Michael Cliffe House (courtesy of the Islington Tribune).

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His report on Michael Cliffe House is not totally complete, since there is boxed-in pipework and locked dry-riser cabinets on communal landings on each floor of the Michael Cliffe House that he was unable to inspect. In addition he was only able to superficially inspect three homes. So, he was unable to assess whether there are fire seals around hidden pipes and whether the safety of fire walls of residents flats have been breached. These still need to be thoroughly and independently assessed.

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Arnold Dix says most areas are in good condition but there are items that the council should address. These include an immediate upgrade of the emergency staircases fire and smoke protection doors (which have been here since the estate was built, 50 years ago), an audit and re-instatement of the lacking fire separation between the floors, and penetrations into homes to re-establish the original fire safety concept.


He also says that Installation of sprinkler should be considered as part of a systematic fire safety upgrade.


He urges the council to focus also on the Fire Safety implications of current works (the new communal heating and hot water system), cabling through balconies (from Virgin Boxes on balconies of the block - something FETRA first raised back in 2010 after the Lackanal House fire) and the hot water system installation which has introduced penetrations vertically through the building which should be remediated with an approved fire stop solution.


He says the building is inherently safe and could well serve for many more years as safe housing if managed, upgraded and maintained correctly in the future.

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We assume that some of the issues highlighted in relation to Michael Cliffe House will (at least in instances relating to the new communal heating and hot water system) be the same on Patrick Coman House.

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Link here to Islington Tribune article

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Fire risk

This is on Charles Townsend House and occurs every time there is a heavy downpour of rain. This is in a communal area and can be very slippery and dangerous for small children, elderly or disabled people.  It has been reported many times over the last few years, but without the problem being resolved.

Water ingress
Damning report on 8-year leak Patrick Coman House
Link here to the June 2016 report produced in response to a formal complaint made by FETRA about a leak in one of the entrances to Patrick Coman House that had occurred on and off for eight years. The complaint resulted in residents of the ground floor section of the block each gaining £500 in compensation from Islington Council.
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The Islington Gazette carried a report on the leak and almost certainly helped in making the council move to resolve the problem.
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